Abstract
Abstract Students in design courses work on projects that are influenced by ambiguity, gender orientation, and domain relatedness. This study investigates the impacts of these factors on student self-efficacy in order to increase retention in engineering disciplines. From a comprehensive literature review and feedback from engineering experts, an instrument is developed to assess student perceptions on tolerance to ambiguity (STA), project gender orientation (PGO), and project domain relatedness (PDR). Statistical analyses are conducted to examine the influence of STA, PGO, and PDR on student self-efficacy and collective efficacy. Results indicate that an increase in the gender orientation of the project decreases student self-efficacy. Furthermore, gender bias of the design project diminishes student tolerance to deal with ambiguous situations. Therefore, instructors should consider choosing more gender-neutral projects or make appropriate adjustments in project descriptions to minimize gender bias.
Highlights
There is wide understanding that the “sage on the stage” style of instruction has limitations in appropriately preparing students for the modern workplace
We focus on gender orientation of design projects, relatedness of the project domain with the discipline that students want to pursue, and student preparedness to tackle open-ended and potentially ambiguous design projects as barriers to their success in design projects
There were three open-ended questions asking students to elaborate on their answers: “I found certain aspects of the design project to be related to my chosen discipline,” “Gender orientation of the project” and “Which gender had greater expertise on project tasks?” The last part of the survey includes student gender, anticipated major, expected course grade and confidence level in earning the expected grade
Summary
There is wide understanding that the “sage on the stage” style of instruction has limitations in appropriately preparing students for the modern workplace. The constructivist theory of learning sees the instructor as the “guide on the side” facilitating student interaction and experience with the material, enabling knowledge construction and meaning to take place [2]. Project-based design learning environment provides this facilitated learning setting [3], and it is being used throughout the engineering curriculum to provide design experiences to students [4]. In many universities, engineering design courses feature project-based learning starting in the first year. Another advantage of a projectbased design course setting is it provides a platform for students to experience engineering fundamentals together even if their eventual disciplinary choices (i.e., chemical engineering vs industrial engineering) are different. Design projects can enhance students’ motivation by increasing the enthusiasm of first year students through engagement with authentic industrial clients and problems originating from real-world applications. Design projects coming from industry provide an opportunity to see the real applications of their design solutions, and how the theory and practice come together
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
